USSR – The Medal “For Courage” (Variant 3, unnumbered)
Description
The Medal “For Courage” was created by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on October 17, 1938. It was awarded to soldiers of the Soviet Army, Navy, border and internal troops and other citizens of the USSR, as well as to persons who are not citizens of the USSR, for personal courage and bravery displayed in battles against the enemies of the socialist fatherland, while protecting the state border of the USSR, during the performance of military duties in circumstances involving a risk to life.
The Medal “For Courage” is a 34mm in diameter circular silver medal with a raised rim on both the obverse and reverse. On the obverse, in the upper part are three aircraft flying from right to left. Below the aircraft is the impressed and red enameled inscription in two lines “FOR COURAGE” (Russian: «ЗА ОТВАГУ») and below the inscription is a (T-35) tank with its forward left corner closest to the front. The Soviet medal has got the additional impressed and red enameled inscription “USSR” (Russian «CCCP») below the tank just above and following the curvature of the medal’s obverse lower rim.
Variant 3. There is no serial number on the reverse. According to clause 8 of Protocol No. 176 of the Secretariat of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated January 30, 1947, «further production of USSR medals, with the exception of the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Sickle and Hammer medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor, is made without numbers». Thus, from January 1947, the medal was produced without a number.
Historical Significance:
The medal was highly respected and often awarded to front-line soldiers during World War II (the Great Patriotic War).
It was one of the few Soviet medals that could be awarded multiple times, with a small number marked on the ribbon to indicate multiple awards.
During the war, this medal was awarded hundreds of thousands of times for exceptional combat performance.
